Garbage menace reaches forest reserves

The lives of elephants who feed at the Digampathana forest reserve in Dambulla were in danger due to the large amounts of garbage that has been dumped at a site in the reserve. Residents in the area complained that a herd of 25- 30 wild elephants including a tusker fed on garbage and often terrorized villagers for more food and often destroyed cultivated land.

Many complained that the vast area had now turned into a dumping site and that despite numerous complaints and appeals to the authorities, who often traveled overseas on public funds, no solution had been given. Pix by Kanchana Kumara Ariyadasa